Ringing in 2015 in Paris!

Posted on December 26, 2014 by brosbottom

This year we’ll be in Paris to ring in 2015, but, rather than dine out in one of the city’s restaurants, we’ll be cooking a meal with our friends, Harriet and Philippe, who live there. Our hosts have decided that after marathon Christmas entertaining, we should follow a simpler philosophy of “buy some, make some” for this special night. And, happily, that’s especially easy to do in France.

Harriet’s local boucher displays gorgeous fowl, completely stuffed and oven ready, which she buys and roasts along with chestnuts and vegetables. Our pals love to purchase oysters, a French tradition at this time of year, and a cache of delectable cheeses. I’ll order a dessert from one of my favorite patisseries, and will volunteer to bring champagne and appetizers. Continue reading →

Semilla—A Favorite Restaurant on Paris’ Left Bank

Posted on July 17, 2014 by brosbottom

Interior Semilla

Semilla Kitchen Team

The French have an original expression for describing restaurants they are particularly fond of. They call them coups de coeur–heartthrobs. Paris by Mouth (a site I use repeatedly when in the City of Light for terrific restaurant, wine, and pastry reviews) even goes so far as to put a bright pink heart by the names of establishments they deem worthy of this honor. Semilla, a popular eatery located in the St Germain area on the Left Bank is my newest heartthrob. (It’s also the recipient of one of those little pink hearts from Paris by Mouth!).

My husband and I have dined in this lively bistro four times this year, twice during our Continue reading →

Asparagus Star in A Delicious Soup

Posted on June 26, 2014 by brosbottom

What I love about cooking in France is that the French are real sticklers for using seasonal ingredients. There’s no way you’d see asparagus in their groceries in the winter. (In my supermarkets at home, sadly I don’t have to look hard to find non-local asparagus from Chile displayed throughout the cold weather months.) In Paris bundles of the long, sleek spears appear only in late spring and early summer. And what a glorious scene they make— verdant-hued stalks, tender, petite wild asparagus, and snowy- hued white varieties take center stage at les primeurs (produce stores).

Since arriving several weeks ago, I’ve taken advantage of this bounty. At first, I used the stalks as a side to sautéed lamb chops or roast chicken, but then I got more imaginative and included them in a delicious brodo. Continue reading →

Gorgeous Artichokes in the Markets of Paris!

Posted on June 18, 2014 by brosbottom

The first thing I do when I arrive in the City of Light is to get out my rolling cart and head for the organic farmers’ market called Le Marché Bio. We had barely unpacked our bags when we headed to it a couple of Sundays ago. There in all their glory were the jewels of the farmers’ hard work—gorgeous little peas, strawberries that were red all the way through and decadently juicy, cherries so sweet they needed no embellishing, countless bouquets of fresh herbs, and stately artichokes—just possibly my favorite late spring vegetable!

Artichokes in France usually appear in two varieties: the small to medium ones are tinged with purple and call artichauts violets and the others, the incredibly large variety, are artichauts de Bretagne (from Brittany). I couldn’t resist and popped four of the latter in my bag to serve at a small dinner the next night.

Continue reading →

Duck for Dinner—Easy, Delicious, and Inexpensive

Posted on January 31, 2014 by brosbottom

Last fall at the supermarket, I was debating whether to buy some individually packaged duck legs with thighs when a friend passed by and picked up several packets. “Have you tried these?” I asked. To which she quickly replied that were they not only delicious, but also a terrific bargain at around $3 per serving. Since my husband never met a duck dish he didn’t like, I added a couple to my cart.

Uncertain how I’d prepare this purchase, I remembered on the way home a fabulous duck entrée I’d ordered in a Paris bistro several years back. It featured a duck breast that was quickly sautéed and sauced, then served atop a creamy parsnip puree. Duck legs, I reasoned, could be easily substituted, but would need a longer cooking time. Continue reading →

Piping Hot Onion Soup Counters Freezing Temperatures

Posted on January 24, 2014 by brosbottom

After three blissful weeks in Paris where the thermometer rarely registered out of the 40s, we returned to blizzard conditions in New England and temperatures so cold (try minus 5 as a low and 12 as a high) that we haven’t ventured far from the warmth of our home. Although the Artic blast has prevented us from walking for exercise, it hasn’t diminished our appetites. In fact, the weather has made us ravenous, especially for comfort food.

On my first trip to the grocery, I picked up all the makings for the ultimate cold weather dish—soupe à l’oignon gratinée. This particular recipe, the pièce de résistance of a recent cooking class called Midnight in Paris, is based loosely on the first onion soup I ever made from Julia’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I. The main difference is that I suggest using a quickly made short-cut beef stock, or, when rushed, opting for quality purchased stock. Continue reading →

A Stay At Home Lunch in Paris

Posted on January 17, 2014 by brosbottom

In Paris, my local cheese store, Quatrehomme, always has an array of savory tarts ready to be sliced and taken home for reheating. Recently, I noticed one made with mild, lovely Cantal cheese topped with sliced tomatoes, another prepared with extra creamy Reblochon cheese and ham, and a new combo of brébis (sheep’s cheese) with smoked ham. A few steps away at La Grande Epicerie, a spinach and fresh salmon torte encrusted in a rich golden pastry shell was equally tempting. All were inspiration for the mushroom and scallop tart I made for lunch a few days ago.

Baking this tart was a breeze because I used plenty of convenience ingredients. For the crust, I bought puff pastry sheets already cut into circles so that all I needed to do was mold one into a tart pan. The cheese store sold grated Gruyère, and it wasn’t a problem to find a box of fresh, sliced mushrooms. On the other side of the Atlantic, puff pastry is sold in most markets, but you will need to cut a sheet to fit your pan. Pre-sliced mushrooms are common too, but you may have to take a few minutes to grate the cheese. Continue reading →

A New Restaurant in Paris to Start the New Year

Posted on January 5, 2014 by brosbottom

Le Pario entrance

Although we’ve been in Paris several days, most of the city’s restaurants have been shuttered for the holidays. Only this weekend did they start to reopen. We couldn’t wait, and for our first outing went to Le Pario, a new place in the 15th arrondissement that opened this fall. Our friends John and Sue Talbott recommended it, and met us there. John is a well known food critic/blogger here in France’s capital so I knew we were in for a treat.

Le Pario is small and well appointed with banquettes covered in rich caramel leather and tables topped with crisp white linens. But it’s the creative dishes of chef Eduardo Jacinto that are the real draw. A native Brazilian, with an impressive resumé that includes stints at Café Constant and Le Violon d’Ingres, this talented cook offers fresh, seasonal food that is stylishly presented and reasonably priced.

Our first courses were definitely original. I ordered a cream soup prepared with potiron (an orange winter squash), chestnuts, and truffle-scented cream. My spouse opted for a composed salad of smoked chicken, carrots, and scallions accompanied by baby romaine in a Caesar dressing. Mains included roasted quail with bacon-stuffed potatoes, and a tender fricassee of Continue reading →

Paris’s Stunning New Grande Epicerie-Not Your Everyday A&P

Posted on December 29, 2013 by brosbottom

La Grande Epicerie Domed Glass Ceiiing

Greetings from Paris where everyone is getting ready for New Year’s Eve or le réveillon as it’s called here. The French are busy stocking up on all their traditional indulgences–champagne, foie gras, oysters, smoked salmon, and bûches de Noel — to welcome 2014. I joined in the fray at La Grande Epicerie in the Bon Marché department store on Paris’s Left Bank, and was blown away by the gorgeous renovation this super deluxe food store has undergone. How many groceries do you know that have 3 floors and a soaring domed ceiling with a sun roof!

One of several cheese counters in the Fromagerie

The food, displayed in themed settings, looks like it’s ready for a movie set. There’s a foie gras counter, a smoked salmon stand, and la crémerie which offers unctuous, calorie-laden creams from France’s countryside. And, of course, there are countless cheeses, all seemingly with pedigrees.

Scallops in Their Shells

Fish–especially shell fish–are on everyone’s menu list, and so there are gorgeous arrangements of oysters, lobsters, scallops, shrimp, as well as other crustaceans and bivalves in the poissonerie!

Bûches de Noël

It wouldn’t be a celebration without sweet endings. Although there is an array of pastries to seduce you, bûches de noel are definitely the sentimental favorite. They come in myriad flavors, hues, and sizes.

Wine and Spirits on the lower floor

The entire lower floor is devoted to wines, liqueurs, and other spirits. Their livers are the last thing on the minds of Parisians when they ring in the new year!

Happy New Year–Bonne Année 2014!

A Main Course Salad Perfect for Hot Summer Nights

Posted on July 11, 2013 by brosbottom

I returned home from Paris this week with some sound French cooking philosophy. Everyone cooks seasonally there, not only by choice, but often by necessity. Mounds of asparagus, green and white or plump and slim, appear in markets in mid-spring only to completely disappear later in the summer. Deep crimson and incredibly juicy strawberries pop up in June and are available for a few weeks. Even fish have their own cycle. Late last month when I innocently asked a Parisian fishmonger for scallops, he looked at me sternly and announced “C’est fini, Madame!”

However, in New England the latter are in their prime right now. At a local grocery store fresh sea scallops from Cape Cod caught my eye while I was restocking my larder, so I bought a pound along with “native” (translation: homegrown) tomatoes and a bunch of arugula. I added a package of Spanish-style chorizo to my cart and had the makings for a delicious main course salad for our first night home. Continue reading →

Betty Rosbottom

Food Writer, Cookbook Author, Cooking Teacher

Tag Archives: Paris